Lakers News: Latest Odds on Team USA's Olympic Gold Medal Chances As Knockout Round Nears

Here are the latest odds that Team USA will take gold at the Paris Olympics.

Aug 3, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; United States guard LeBron James (6), small forward Jayson Tatum (10), shooting guard Stephen Curry (4) and center Joel Embiid (11) in the second quarter against Puerto Rico during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Once again, Team USA has proven to be a dominant force in men's basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Despite some close calls in the preliminary games, the United States came out on top in their pool, defeating their opponents by an average of about 21 points and earning themselves the No. 1 seed as they move forward into the single-elimination round.

This is largely in part to the high caliber of players on the team. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers has served as an excellent leader for the team, averaging 14.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and a team-leading 7.3 assists per game.

Other standouts for Team USA include guard Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, forward Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, guard Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and forward Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.

Edwards currently leads the team in points, averaging 16.7 per game and a game-high of 26 points. He has also averaged three rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Meanwhile, Tatum is averaging seven points, 2.5 rebounds, and a team-leading 7.5 rebounds per game. Lakers center Anthony Davis has also been performing well, averaging 8.3 points, 7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists.

Because of performances like this, it should come as no surprise that USA is by far the favorite team to win the gold.

According to BetOnline, Team USA is easily the betting favorite with -800 odds. That means if you bet $100 on LeBron James and company, you will only win $12.50. Compare this to the next closest teams: Canada and Germany. Both are at +900 odds, meaning that a bet of $100 will bring you $900 in return.

The five other teams are even less favored to win it all: Serbia has +1500 odds, Australia has +3300, France has +4000, Greece has +6600, and Brazil has +25000. So if you bet $100 on Brazil, expect to get $25,000 in return if they secure the gold.

While this is disappointing for bettors, this is good news for the United States. Some people may have questioned USA's strength after almost losing to Germany and South Sudan in the preliminary games, but they quickly silenced the doubters.

It should come as no surprise that Team USA has performed so well. The United States has a history of gold in men's basketball. In fact, the last time the U.S. didn't win the gold was in 2004, when they lost to Argentina before the gold medal match. Argentina eventually won the gold when they beat Italy in the final.

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